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Femi Falana accused IBB of frustrating investigations into Dele Giwa’s assassination, reneging on a promised public inquiry
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Falana highlighted Gani Fawehinmi’s legal efforts to seek justice, which were met with government resistance and court setbacks
Prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has accused former military ruler General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) of frustrating attempts to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of journalist Dele Giwa.
Falana made this claim while speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Tuesday, responding to IBB’s recently released memoir, A Journey in Service.
According to Falana, IBB’s regime initially promised a public inquiry into Giwa’s assassination but later reneged on the decision.
“On October 19, 1986, when that unfortunate incident happened, one of the early visitors to Dele Giwa’s house was the then Minister of Information. He publicly announced that due to the novel nature of the death—since Nigeria had never witnessed such before—there would be a public inquiry,” Falana said.
“However, two days later, the military junta reversed its decision and abandoned the promise of an investigation.”
Falana also highlighted the efforts of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), a friend and lawyer to Dele Giwa, in seeking justice.
“Chief Gani Fawehinmi took up the matter, writing to the government and declaring that if they refused to prosecute, he would personally do so,” Falana said.
However, the government ignored Fawehinmi’s demand, forcing him to take the matter to court.
“Gani went to court, but he was told he had no locus standi (legal standing) to demand prosecution. He proceeded to the Court of Appeal, but the ruling remained the same,” Falana recounted.
Nonetheless, the Supreme Court later ruled that a concerned citizen could not be denied the right to challenge the death of another person.
Despite their close relationship, Falana also accused IBB of betraying and executing his childhood friend, General Mamman Vatsa.
“IBB’s relationship with General Vatsa was much closer than that of Dele Giwa. Vatsa was his best man. They grew up together and even shared the same room as bachelors. Yet, he was executed without any basis,” Falana stated.
Falana’s revelations further revive calls for accountability over military-era crimes. Dele Giwa, the founder of Newswatch magazine, was killed by a letter bomb in 1986, an attack widely believed to have been carried out by the military government.
Despite several attempts to investigate the assassination, no one has been held accountable, reinforcing suspicions of a cover-up orchestrated by the Babangida regime.
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